United Raw Pet Foods Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Dane Creek Capital Corp, announces that it has acquired Growlies Pet Foods Inc., a leading pet specialty retailer based in Victoria, British Columbia. Growlies was founded by Jo-Anne and Neal Cropper in 2007.
Under the terms of the acquisition, United Raw will also enter into lease agreements with N.J. Cropper Holdings Ltd., a company owned by the Croppers, for ongoing use of not only the Growlies retail location but also, a warehouse/freezer located approximately two kilometers from the store. No other terms were disclosed.
Growlies is one of the largest pet specialty retailers in British Columbia focusing on the sale of frozen raw pet food and is widely regarded as one of the top retailers of raw pet food in Canada. Growlies' mission is to make raw, high-quality pet food as accessible as possible to pet owners in the community it serves. Growlies also offers customers a limited selection of dehydrated and canned food as well as a range of premium supplements and treats. Sales of raw pet food made up over 80% of Growlies' 2020 revenue.
This transaction represents the first acquisition of a pet specialty retailer by United Raw. To date, United Raw has acquired five Canadian manufacturers of frozen raw pet food including Naturawls Pet Products, Spring Meadows Natural Pet Food, Mountain Dog Enterprises Inc., Pets4Life, and Tollden Farms Inc., which, in aggregate, produce ten brands of frozen raw pet food. United Raw also maintains a minority interest in Pet Plate, a US-based company offering lightly cooked pet food, and its majority-owner, Dane Creek also owns several pet supplements and pet treat manufacturers in Canada.
While Growlies offers dog and cat owners nearly 25 different brands of frozen raw pet food to choose from, United Raw's Naturawls is the fastest-growing brand within Growlies' top seven best-selling raw foods and is sold alongside four other United Raw brands. Outside the United Raw family, Growlies' selection of frozen raw pet foods includes brands such as Buddies, Mega Dog, Pets Go Raw, and Red Dog Blue Kat.
